Tartarus
by musicalgirl4474
Summary: This story is adopted by me from Singing Fire. It is after Percy and Annabeth come out of Tartarus and obviously very different from House of Hades. Not Blood of Olympus, just Percabeth and some other stuff. Nico and the Coach are still on the Argo II. So, slight AU. May be some swearing. If there is, rating will change to teen.
1. Out of Tartarus

**A/N: This is an adopted story, so the first few chapters belong to Singing Fire. Not me. Singing Fire. This is her awesome idea.**

**Other disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. If I did, the books would probably not be as awesome as they are.**

Jason was the first to notice the two figures stumbling out of the Doors of Death. The battle had been fierce, and the giants weren't being pushed back. Gaea's laughter echoed around them, beating like a drum.

Percy was half conscious, supported by an exhausted, beaten Annabeth. Bruises, burns and cuts decorated their skin and shadows hung heavy under their eyes.

"Guys!" he shouted, running for the Doors. Everyone's' attention turned to him and he heard Piper and Hazel screaming their names.

Annabeth fell, and Jason managed to catch her before she hit her head. Her leg was wrapped in the bubble wrap splint, now grey with dirt and grime.

"Annabeth are you okay?" he asked as her eyelids fluttered.

"Percy." She moaned. He hadn't noticed the son of Poseidon collapsed on the ground, breathing heavy. Coughing, blood splattered the ground. Nico was beside him in an instant, laying Percy on his back.

"Take Annabeth back to the ship." Percy whispered, shakily standing. Jason nodded and whistled, praying the horse would listen for once. He was beside them in a flash of tan, throwing his head proudly.

He slung Annabeth on his back and said "Come on Percy."

Percy shook his head.

"Perce." Nico started, but Percy raised a hand.

"Go, I'm going to try something new." He said, standing straighter. Nico's eyes widened and said "Not Mount St. Helens."

Percy kneeled on the ground and placed his hands on the dirt. He closed his eyes and the earth rumbled.

Nico ran for the horse, screaming to the seven "Get to the ship, NOW!"

Jason leapt onto the horse and asked "What's he doing?"

Nico turned back to Percy and said "You heard of the first explosion of Mount St. Helens?"

Jason nodded and Nico said "Percy caused it."

A shudder ran down his spine and a cold feeling settled in his gut. Arion ran for the Leo, Frank had turned into an eagle and flown Piper and Hazel back. As they landed on the deck of the ship, he saw the earth splitting open, lava bubbling under the surface. Giants fell, drowning and burning. An in-human scream ripped the air and the earth shook more violently.

Lava flew into the air, flowing and sealing the Doors shut. Steam and smoke billowed over them, like a thick fog.

"Where's Percy?" Nico begged, leaning over the edge. Jason, instead, looked up. The limp falling figure was hurtling towards the earth, burning and screaming.

"There!" Jason said, and before anyone could look, he was in the air. They collided, and Jason mistakenly grabbed his arm. His skin was on fire, like the lava below. He winced with pain and grabbed the back of his shirt.

The ground was coming closer, and Jason suddenly thought of the impact.

Using all the energy he had, he forced the winds to stop them, protect them. A cocoon of wind swirled around them, locking Jason in the dark grey and white wisps. Not too soon. He felt the winds absorb the impact, and he felt hard wood beneath him.

"Jason!" Piper screamed, running for him. He realized he had landed on the deck of the Argo II.

"Drink this." Piper told him, lifting a bottle to his lips. He drank greedily, is energy taxed.

"Percy." He heard someone moan. He saw Annabeth, stumbling towards her burning boyfriend. His hair was more disheveled his skin an angry red. His eyes were half open and glazed with pain.

"An...nabeth." he groaned. Annabeth reached for his hand and said "I'm here Seaweed Brain."

He smiled, somehow through the pain and said "We out?"

Annabeth nodded, tears in her eyes. Jason realized foggily that he had never seen her cry.

"Yeah. The sun's above us and our lives are ahead. No more wars."

Percy smiled again and fell limp.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, shaking his shoulder. She felt for a pulse and said with anxiety "Percy?"

"He needs nectar!" Frank shouted. Piper trickled the bottle down his throat and the burns faded to a less angry red. His cheeks flushed as his body cooled.

"Get him and Jason to the infirmary." Hazel said. He shook his head and stood up.

"I'm fine, just need some sleep." He said, shaking his head again. Frank and Hedge were carrying

Percy, Annabeth hovering behind him.

She turned to Jason with horror struck eyes and said "He'll be okay, right?"

Jason put up a smile for her sake and said "Course he will be. He wouldn't leave you."

Annabeth nodded and followed them down the stairs.

Jason breathed a sigh and relaxed on the railing. He felt a cool hand in his and smiled at Piper. She smiled back and said "That's your second great prophecy. I'm pretty sure I can live with only one."

Jason smiled and kissed her, but knew it wasn't over.  
It was far from over.


	2. Fever

**A/N: Again, these word's are Singing Fire's, as I am simply adopting this story. And I do not own PJO or HoO.**

Jason woke up to a strangled sob coming from next door. With a groan, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his gladius. Just in case.

Creeping out into the hallway, she snuck over to the next door and pressed his ear to the wood.

"It's okay." He heard Piper whisper in a soothing tone.

There was a sniffle and a watery voice that whispered "where's the sun? it was here before, but now its gone. It's too dark."

Quiet sobs reached his ears and against his better judgment, he opened the door.

Piper was hugging Annabeth, who was sobbing into her hands. She looked up at Jason with a small spark of anger, but it faded as silent tears streaked down her face.

"Jason?" Piper asked, turning towards him. Jason felt heat rising to his face and he muttered "I couldn't sleep."

He sat in the desk chair and asked "Are you okay Annabeth?"

Annabeth turned to him with swimming grey eyes and asked "It's so dark. Where's Percy? He had light."

Jason didn't get any sense out of this, but he smiled and said "Come on, I'll take you to Percy."

Annabeth stood up and followed him, clutching Piper's hand in hers tightly.

Jason led her through the dark hallways, heading towards the infirmary. She whispered once how dark it was, but no other words were spoken. When he reached the door, he opened it for her and she walked in.

Percy looked, if possible, worse then before. A fever had broken out and he was flushed and pale, hot and cold, all at the same time. Sweat drenched his clothes, and a shiny layer lay over him like a second skin. Annabeth pulled over a chair and took his limp hand in hers.

"I'm here Percy, its okay." She whispered to him, brushing a strand of hair from his face.

Jason felt his heart twisting with pity, but he gave her none. Annabeth was a tough girl, hated being considered weak. Pity was something she did not want.

He turned to Piper and saw she was standing by the doorway still, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

He took one of her hands in his and said "I think they need some alone time."

Piper nodded and, with a soft thud, the door shut behind them.

All Percy could see was darkness. It pressed around him, tighter and tighter until it hurt to breath. He struggled, as hard as he could, but he was floating, to weak to move. With an exhausted sigh, he stood amongst the darkness.

A white light shone in front of him, a speck in the black. But it was something, and anything was an improvement.

Gaea's face loomed out of the darkness, her dark, half opened eyes boring into his.

"My little pawn, oblivious to the threat. To weak to be considered a hero. Too small to be a danger."  
His blood boiled under her words. Anger washed over his mind, freeing him from any sane thought.  
"But, you are a nuisance. You didn't die like you were supposed to. You and that Athena girl. So close, yet you escaped."

A grisly smile spread across her face and she whispered "You have been a bad little pawn. You must be punished. Sweet dreams Percy Jackson."

A white light spread, like the sun at dawn. He welcomed the warmth, but the light grew, painfully hot.

"You think I'm so useless?" Percy shouted at Gaea, ignoring the burning fire deep in his bones.

"Oh Perseus, you think you know pain?" he voice asked, echoing through the darkness and the brightness.

"You don't know anything."

He couldn't take it. His body was hot, then cold, the burning, no freezing. He screamed, alone in the darkness…


	3. The Dark

**A/N: Still Singing Fire's story/ words... and I don't own any of PJO or HoO, so yeah.**

Annabeth knew she was going insane. The second it turned dark, her mind went blank and she was out of control. Crying, muttering, totally deflated and hopeless. Her first instinct was to find Percy, wherever he was. She needed him, no matter how pathetic and sad that was.

Piper found her first, trying to comfort her. Annabeth tried to tell her she needed to see Percy, but her mouth kept saying "It's too dark, where's the sun?"

Jason walked in, and she felt shame burning in her chest. She tried to get angry, but her eyes were wet with pathetic tears, and she couldn't stop them from overflowing.

Jason led her towards the infirmary, and she felt her heart slowly start to shatter. He opened the door and left with Piper, leaving her alone with Percy. She felt grateful.

Percy was lying on one of the cots, his skin deadly pale except for the flush of red form the fever. His eyes were closed, and she would have thought he was dead except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. His leg was bound in a cast, his sword hand blackened with burns, and his hair tinged with soot. She stroked his hair and whispered to him.

"I'm sorry Percy. For you getting hurt, for dragging you into Tartarus, everything."

She held his hand in hers and gave it a soft kiss on the knuckles. She felt his hand squeeze hers back, as if saying "not your fault"

She felt the traitorous tears slipping down her cheeks again, but for once, she didn't care. She gave him a soft kiss on the forehead, and for the first time in a while, totally relaxed into a peaceful sleep.  
She woke up to someone shaking her shoulder Her eyes flew open and instinctively reached for her knife. Of course, it wasn't there.

She glanced down and saw Percy, half sitting up and smiling at her with that annoying lopsided grin of his. Annabeth felt her heart leaping with joy and she grabbed him into a crushing hug.

"Annabeth, my lungs." Percy groaned.

Annabeth, with a happy, tear soaked face, let him go and asked "Are you alright?'

Percy rubbed his side and said "I didn't know you had such a tight grip."

She felt herself laughing against her will and said "I'm alright, thanks for asking."

He pulled her into a soft kiss and she felt her mind flying, high above the clouds. For once, she was totally at ease.

Until Leo burst into the door…

**A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn**


	4. Engine Problems

**A/N: Singing Fire's amazing story, not mine yet. Next chapter. But not yet. Still don't own PJO or HoO either. I wish. Maybe then I wouldn't need to worry so much about taking Creative Writing next quarter... but, oh well. It belongs to Rick Riordan.**

Leo was breathing heavy, his face covered in soot and a small fire burning in his curly hair.

"Engines on fire!" he gasped, hands on his knees.

Percy blinked for half a second before climbing unsteadily to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth demanded, grabbing his wrist. Percy couldn't be that seaweed brained, could he?

He pulled his arm free and said "I'd be a pretty useless son of Poseidon if I didn't help put out a fire." He said with a small grin.

He followed Leo out the door and with a frown, Annabeth followed.

The engine room was massive, a dark room full of pipes and pistons, gleaming dully in the dim light. Now it was an inferno. Bright cherry red flames were everywhere. The heat was intense, and even puddles of metal were dripping. Annabeth backed away and watched in horror as Percy and Leo ran straight into the flames.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted, coming as close to the engine room as she could. The heat was like a brick wall, keeping her away. She couldn't imagine how Percy and Leo could walk into the heart of it.

"Percy!" she shouted.

A rumbling sound resonated off the wooden walls, and a massive cloud of steam flew through the door, hanging thick and heavy in the air like a wet blanket. Annabeth choked and stumbled back coughing.

"Percy!" she coughed again.

The engine room was still burning, but a lot less from what Annabeth could tell through the grey white steam. She heard choking and coughing from in the room.

Leo stumbled out of the room, more flames glowing in his curly hair. Percy was leaning on his shoulder, his breath rattling in his chest.

"Percy, you are insane." Annabeth told him in relief. Percy nodded, wheezing.

"Let's get you back to the infirmary." Annabeth told him, shouldering his weight and helping him limp back to his cot.

As soon as he had a glass of water, his eyes slid closed and his breathing evened out slightly. Annabeth sighed in relief and brushed his hair from his eyes.

She turned to Leo, who was standing shuffling by the door and asked "What happened?"

Leo shook his head in disbelief and said "I got all the fames in the center of the room, carrying them in my hands and all. A huge cloud of water hovered above it and dropped onto all the fires, putting all of them out. Next thing I could see was the steam cloud, and nothing else."

Percy shifted in his sleep and Annabeth asked "where's Piper, Jason, Hazel Frank and Nico?"

Leo instantly averted his eyes, and whistling loudly started backing towards the door, not saying a word.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed and her suspicion rose. Maybe they were waiting in her cabin, ready to attack her. Maybe they wanted to through her back in the pit.

Shivers racked her spine. She knew it was Tartarus talking, influencing her mind, lie black tentacles wrapping around her brain.

She was shaken from her thoughts when Leo said "I don't know."

She released Percy's hand from hers and took a menacing step forward and asked in a low voice

"Where are they?"

Leo swallowed and shrugged, taking a massive step back.

Annabeth pulled her knife free and pointed the razor sharp tip in Leo's direction.

"Where are the rest of the seven?" She demanded, taking another step closer. Leo tripped and fell to the ground, scrambling backwards out the door. Annabeth loomed over him, Tartarus whispering lies in her ear. Leo realized that the menacing look in her eyes wasn't fake or a joke.

"They went somewhere an hour ago. I don't know, but they're not back yet. Just us and coach on the ship now." He said quickly, climbing quickly to his feet.

She lowered her knife and sheathed it by her side. She relaxed, and Tartarus vanished for now.  
Leo laughed nervously and noticed the heavy black bruises under her eyes.

"Hey, you haven't slept a lot, and you look tired. Grab a cot, there's plenty." Leo said, gesturing to the cots.

Exhaustion washed over Annabeth and her shoulders slumped. She walked towards a cot and stretched out her hand, her fingers clenching tightly to Percy's hand. She didn't realize her eyes had closed as she slipped away into the darkness.

After Annabeth's eyes closed, Leo took a breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He didn't deny it; Annabeth was scary when she wanted to be. The look in her eyes was different somehow, when she joked about gutting them. It was more, true, more insane and real. She would have hurt him.

That thought sent a cold feeling in his gut.

He slowly entered the room, taking a swig of nectar to help with the energy drop.

Annabeth was already out, sleeping like a coma patient. Percy was a lot less comfy, muttering and shifting in the cot, hands shaking. Leo felt bad about using Percy to stop the fire. But no one else was around, and he figured Coach would start swinging at the fire screaming "Die", spreading the fire even more.

There was the sound of moving cloth and groaning springs. Leo froze, his hand drifting to the tool belt.  
He swung around, his fingers tingling and ready to summon fire. He was face to face with wide green eyes, shoulder stooped with exhaustion.

He took a step back and nearly fell on top of Annabeth had Percy not grabbed his wrist and pulled him up.

"Jeez man, a warning next time" He hissed, clutching his heart "I almost had a heart attack."

Percy grinned and winced as his leg hit the floor. Leo frowned in worry and asked "You okay?"

Percy grinned again, this one more of a grimace. He rolled his eyes and said "Don't mother-hen me, I'm fine. See."

He placed the casted foot on the ground and winced slightly. Leo realized what Annabeth meant when she said he was a pain in the infirmary.

Leo rolled his eyes and pointed to the cot.

"Go to bed, you're grounded to the infirmary until you can stand on two feet. You want to blow up Greece; you got to pay the price."

Percy mock-groaned, but sat with a huff on the cot, catching the look of relief flash across his face.  
Annabeth shifted in her sleep, and Percy's head whipped towards her. Leo realized that Percy looked like a zombie. He would know, since he had begged Nico for three days straight to show him some. Pale skin, sunken eyes, shadows under his eyes, burns bigger then apples scattered over his arms.  
He turned back to Leo and he averted his eyes. Percy relaxed on the cot and asked "You going to hand me the nectar or do I have to get up myself."

Leo grinned and handed him the glass, which he drained in less than five seconds.

"Hey, you don't want to burn up. That's my gig." Leo told him, swiping the glass form his hands.  
Percy shrugged and his eyes closed, his breathing coming deep and slow.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief, and left, closing the door softly behind him. They deserved as much rest as they could.


	5. Danger

**A/N: My first chapter in this story! It is dedicated,of course, to Singing Fire. I hope they like it. Everyone else, kick back, and Enjoy.**

Unfortunately, they didn't really get it. The others came back soon with a bunch of weapons and stuff. And not to mention chased by a bunch of really angry-looking flying rooster-snake things.

"What's going on?" Leo asked as Hazel appeared on the Argo II aboard Arion.

"Just get this ship moving!" she yelled as a flying Jason and Frank the dragon got the others onto the ship. So Leo leapt to the helm and had the ship up and moving in less than a minute. Coach Hedge had come up and was yelling as he shot chicken snakes out of the sky with the ballistae along with Frank, still a dragon. Hazel dropped a bag full of glowing weapons, but Leo didn't have time to gawk.

Apparently, all the noise had disturbed Annabeth and Percy, 'cause they came stumbling up from below. Percy blinked furiously in the light of the rising sun.

"Cockatrices!" Annabeth yelled. "Leo, get us out of here!"

He complied, and heard Percy ask "Cocka-wha?"

"Basilisks with wings! They can breath fire and the worst can kill with their gaze!"

"I think Tyke might be with us for once," Jason said as he drew his gladius. "We met their eyes, but we're not dead."

"They can supposedly only be permanently killed by weasels," Annabeth said, looking at the imperial gold weapon in Leo's best friend's hand.

Leo's mind churned frantically as he asked Festus if there was any extra power they could channel to speed. He didn't like the answer. The engines were already over-heating again, and he was pushing it as fast as he could already.

"Frank!" He called over the rooster cries. The dragon turned to look at him. "Weasels! They can only be permanently killed by…" his next words were lost as one of the ugly monsters opened it's beak from where it was at least thirty feet away, and immediately spewed fire. The Mast caught, and suddenly it was ablaze. In a panic now, Leo sent the ship into a slight dive, searching frantically for a lake or something….

"There!" Piper's voice cut through the caws of the Cockatrices, Hedge's yells of "DIE" and Festus' clicking and whirring alarms. Leo followed her gaze. There was a lake almost right below them, with a couple small islands. As Leo aimed to flaming ship towards the lake, he heard Piper cry out again. But this time it wasn't to point out a relatively safe landing space. Jason, who had taken to the air to help Coach Hedge battle the snake-roosters, was surrounded. There was a weasel on his shoulder, and Leo realized that that was where the dragon had gone. But the Cockatrices didn't seem to fazed by their worst enemy. In fact, they just seemed angrier.

Hedge couldn't shoot the monsters without putting Jason and Frank in danger, so Nico had taken control of the ballistae. For good reason, in Leo's opinion. Piper was trying to charm-speak the monsters and Hazel had her spatha out, keeping the monsters from landing on the ship.

At that point everything went to Hades. Annabeth screamed, a blur shot across the deck and the Cockatrices scattered. As they did so, they all seemed to spit fire at the same time, and Jason was engulfed in flame.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. Of water, that doused the flames on the mast, the monsters and the flames that had engulfed the space where Jason and Frank had been. Keyword, had been. Leo rushed to the side of the ship and looked over. Three figures were tumbling through the air, Frank back in human form. Three? Suddenly Annabeth's panic-stricken expression made sense. Percy had thrown himself off the Argo II to save Jason and Frank. And now all three were falling towards the water, trailing smoke as the Cockatrices dropped like stones, their feathers water-logged.


	6. SOS

** A/N: This chapter is dedicated to willoffire123. Enjoy.**

"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed. She looked at Leo. "Put us down. NOW!"

If Percy, Frank, and Jason falling into the lake hadn't been enough, Annabeth's look would have made Leo sprint to the helm to put them down in the lake, hopefully without landing on Jason and the others.

Piper and Hazel were also at the rail, leaning as far as they could to catch a glimpse of the other boys. Nico stood behind them looking worried. As the ship lowered to the water, Leo made sure to switch the scan to sonar. He didn't want another sea-monster attack like what happened in the Atlantic.

Everyone get below if you don't want to get totally soaked!" Leo called as he brought the ship down to the lake. Needless to say, no one moved. Coach Hedge actually went to the prow of the ship, seemingly to get even more soaked.

"Where are they?" asked Hazel nervously, pushing her soaking locks behind her ears. Leo set the scanner to look for smaller life-forms that might signify where his friends were. Well, Jason and Percy, anyway. No telling what animal Frank was at the moment; then joined the others at the rail, scanning frantically with the spyglass he pulled from his tool-belt.

"There!" Piper's voce, shrill with worry, caused Leo to look up and follow her pointing finger to where a blond head bobbed in the waves. Then Jason went back under.

"Get us over there!" Annabeth yelled at him and Nico, then dragged the girls, who looked on the verge of throwing themselves off the side of the ship, to a rope ladder.

As Leo got behind the wheel and Nico took over the spyglass, calling out course directions as Leo steered towards the blips on the sonar scanner that hopefully signified his friends.

The three girls had thrown the rope ladder over the side of the ship, and Coach Hedge was humming something that sounded suspiciously like a sped-up version of 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' as he squinted over the side of the Argo II.

As they got closer, Leo could see that Jason seemed to be struggling to keep something other than him self afloat. No, not something, _someone_. He watched as Jason went under again, and when he came up, Leo saw that he had his arms around an unconscious Percy Jackson; Frank the dolphin was trying to keep them afloat.

Annabeth looked just about ready to jump into the lake many feet below, but Piper and Hazel restrained her. "He'll be fine!" Piper said, putting a little charm-speak in her words to calm Annabeth. It didn't really work.

Annabeth turned with a snarl. "Don't charm-speak me!"

Piper took a step back in surprise, and Annabeth seemed to deflate a little. "Sorry," she said meekly. "It's just… ever since… that place…" Piper didn't say anything, just hugged the older girl. Leo felt a bit awkward watching the exchange, but Hazel seemed fine.

"Tell us later," she said, putting a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Look, here they come."

Walking from behind the control boards, Leo made his way to the ladder with Nico and Coach Hedge. Indeed, Jason and Frank were climbing the ladder. Percy was slung like a bag over Franks shoulder, Jason below looking like he was about to fall into the lake again at any moment.

"Come on," Piper called to the boys, adding a little charm-speak again. Leo saw Annabeth tense, but she stayed looking down at the boys climbing the ladder.

When Frank reached the railing, Annabeth and Piper lowered Percy to the deck as Hazel helped Frank over the side. As Annabeth knelt next to Percy, Piper helped Jason over the rail, and he collapsed to the deck, coughing up water.

"You alright?" Piper asked when Jason finally sat up and took a few deep breaths. "Yeah," he coughed slightly, "but I really need to stop drowning."

Piper laughed. "Yes, yes you do."

Leo headed towards Festus to assess any repairs that needed to be made, but Hazel stopped him by suddenly grabbing his hand in a grip so tight, he could swear he felt his bones grating together. He looked down at her, and saw Hazel and Frank staring at the place where Annabeth was trying to wake Percy, and failing.

"His heart… it's… it's…" Leo felt his own heart stutter as Annabeth dissolved into tears, hands clutching her boyfriend's T-shirt. Hazels limp hand let go of his and dropped to cover her mouth as tears spilled over her cheeks. Jason looked stricken and Piper just… blank.

Then Nico, of all people, got down beside Annabeth and put a hand on her shoulder. "He's not dead yet," he said.

**A/N: If I get three reviews, I'll post another chapter this weekend.**


	7. Defibrillator 101

**A/N: Sorry about my chapter names, I know they suck and seldom have much to do with the chapter. This chapter is dedicated to ****_Singing Fire_********and ****_the fangirl 2013 _****for reviewing and being awesome in general. To all other awesome people who read this, review, and Enjoy. Have a nice day.**

**p.s. This chapter I will tell you POV's. May be an ongoing thing, 'cause you can't do everything with just one POV a chapter. Alright, I'll stop talking/writing now, so you can read.**

_**Annabeth's POV**_

Not dead yet? His heart is still. Annabeth could not feel it beating. How could Percy be alive? _Oh, please let him be alive… please…_, she thought. She felt Piper pull her away, gently, but she wouldn't- couldn't let go of Percy.

"Come on, Annabeth," the girl said, and through her fugue, Annabeth noted that Piper was not using charm-speak. She felt cold fingers on her own, unclenching them from Percy's shirt. Hazel joined Piper in holding her, holding her back from Percy. They were keeping them apart, they would let Percy die… _stop it. That's Tartarus speaking_, she told her self firmly, and she turned her face into Hazel's jacket. Crying, because how could they save Percy if his heart was still?

_**Hazel's POV**_

Annabeth cried into her jacket, and Hazel wasn't doing much better, she could feel tears stinging her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. Frank was rubbing her back a little awkwardly, tearing up too. Hazel looked at Nico, who was gesturing Jason towards him very insistently.

She understood; if Percy's heart wasn't… working… then he had time before the lack of oxygen to his brain caused any lasting damage. Jason was kind of the closest they could get to a defibrillator, what with his sky-lightning powers.

As the blond boy got a little unsteadily to his feet, still exhausted, and moved towards Percy, Hazel felt Annabeth stiffen. She exchanged a worried look with Piper and they tightened their grips a little. When Jason raised his gladius to summon a lightning bolt, and by default storm, Annabeth suddenly started struggling _very_ hard.

"Get away from him!" she screamed. "Leave him alone!" Hazel saw Annabeth's hand reaching towards her knife.

"Frank! A little help!" she said. Her boyfriend looked over and seemed to understand something. His eyes went a little wide and he just stared from the frantic, slightly crazy Annabeth, to Jason and Nico leaning over Percy. "Frank!"

He started, and leaped towards them. He grabbed Annabeth's hand that had just reached her knife hilt. "Annabeth, listen to me," he said evenly.

"No! Let go!"

"Annabeth, they're trying to help Percy. They're going to shock his heart into beating."

She stopped struggling for a moment, as if considering this. Then she just sagged back into Hazel. "Percy…" she whimpered.

"Yeah, Percy'll be fine," Frank said, and Hazel looked at him in amazement. No matter the situation, Frank always seemed to be able to surprise her. Just when she thought he could hardly get any more perfect, he went and did or said something that totally blew her mind. She gave him a look that said 'how did you DO that?'

In return, he gave her a look that said, 'later, not here.'

Then the air became charged, like a big electrical storm was coming. Hazel felt Piper tense beside her, and she herself tightened her hold on Annabeth slightly. If she went crazy again, it would be… not good if she startled Jason.

A jagged bolt of electricity arched from the sky. Nico flinched away slightly, covering his eyes with an arm. Jason pointed the gladius at Percy, and the bolt followed. Thunder shook the Argo II, and Festus roared in protest.

Percy jolted up, a wild look in his eyes, which glowed slightly blue. "What the…" then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell back to the deck.

Jason swayed on his feet, and then pitched forward. Leo, who Hazel had thought was at the 'wheel' (it was more like a bunch of control boards), caught him. Piper had sprung to her feet, and as Jason passed out, she helped Leo ease him to the deck. Hazel let go of Annabeth, who lurched to Percy.

"Percy… please…" Then a smile spread across her face as she laid a hand on his chest. "Thank the gods." Hazel didn't think that Annabeth should thank the gods for anything, with all she and Percy had been through. She got up and went over to Annabeth.

"Come on; let's get him and Jason to the infirmary before the remainders of those rooster-snakes come back."

"Cockatrices," Annabeth corrected automatically. Hazel grinned.

"Yes, those things. Leo," she turned to the son of Hephaestus. "Get us as far away as possible."

The boy frowned. "Won't be very far; we need some repairs, and basic supplies."

"Just get us moving," she said as she and Frank draped Percy's arms around their shoulders and half dragged- half carried the demigod to the infirmary; Annabeth following behind.


	8. Explanations

**A/N: I do NOT own Percy Jackson, or any other characters in Rick Riordan's amazing books. Also, this chapter is dedicated to ****_bellaqueenofthecourt_**** for reading and REVIEWING!**

**Alright everyone: Read and Enjoy (or not, it's your choice.)**

**Hazel POV**

When they lay Percy on a bed, Annabeth immediately sat next to him, threading her fingers between her boyfriend's. Hazel stood there for a while, watching, before turning to Frank.

"Earlier, when Annabeth was…" here she lowered her voice slightly, "freaking out, you had this… well, you seemed like you just figured something out."

Frank glanced behind him, where Piper and Coach Hedge were lowering an unconscious Jason to a bed. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. "Not here. Lets go up to the deck."

Curious, Hazel followed him up, where the wind whipped her curls around her face. To fight the slight queasiness she got on the boat, she focused on the distance, as Leo had once recommended. It helped a little. "So, what is it?" she asked.

Frank was quiet for a while, and Hazel turned to look at him. "I think…" he began slowly, "I think we need to be careful around Annabeth and Percy. Remember what Nico said about Tartarus? That the place changes you?"

Hazel nodded, a little worried about where this was going. "When he came back from Tartarus he was different," she murmured. "Almost more reserved."

Frank nodded. "I hope Annabeth and Percy are willing to tell us what happened down there. Anyway, I think… we need to be careful. They've spent so much time with only each other; they're probably not quite convinced they're safe yet. And… I think Tartarus might be talking to them."

Hazel stared at her boyfriend. Tartarus… how in Hades could the abyss be talking to Percy and Annabeth? Frank seemed to catch her confusion.

"I'm not sure how, but I'm sure it's possible. I mean, If Ares and Mars can have fights in my head, why can't a primordial talk to demigods?"

Hazel frowned. "Wait… the war gods are fighting in your head?"

Frank chuckled wryly. "Yeah, it sucks. But after… you know… the evil sheep when we went to see the farmer god, well… I've had an easier time… controlling them."

Hazel marveled at Frank. He could… okay. Okay, she was fine. Her boyfriend could control the war gods who were using him as some kind of battle ground. She could live with that. Sure.

"How…" her breath caught and she cleared her throat. "How do you know that's what's happening?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But, it's just this feeling; also, having gods in your head isn't _always_ a disadvantage."

"So, Mars told you Annabeth and Percy are hearing voices in their heads?"

"Not exactly; it's just that sometimes they tell me to kill everything, and sometimes they tell me tactics. So, it's more like they've been hinting it."

That seemed like a bit of a leap of logic to Hazel, but she had a feeling Frank knew what he was talking about.

**Leo POV**

Hazel and Frank had been talking for a while, just staring out over the starboard railing, as Leo and Nico worked the ships controls and studied the maps, respectively. Finally, Leo couldn't stand it anymore. He just had to ask the question that had been burning in him when he first saw Hazel come aboard the Argo II earlier that day.

Walking over to the couple, he cleared his throat. Hazel turned. "Hey, Hazel, umm… I was kinda wondering what those glowing weapons are that you brought aboard; and also… um… why those cock-a-doodle-doo things were chasing you."

Frank looked at Hazel. "You're explaining," he said.

"Oh come on…"

"Hey, I was just following you. I don't even know half of what happened…"

Hazel huffed. "Fine… Okay, Leo. Firstly, these weapons… well… they're magic. That's why they glow. Kinda a present from Hecate; not really, just, I had this feeling when Arion showed up. Last time he appeared was the first time I met her."

"Magic? What do they do?"

Hazel shook her head. "I'm not sure. They're… I think they're partly Mist. I feel a bit of a connection to them. Like… more than just that they're precious metals. She told me we'd need them for something, though I can't imagine what we'd need with so many." She knelt on the deck and unrolled the cloth. In the light of the sunset, they seemed more orange than white, as Leo would expect things made partly of mist to be.

"We need to land soon," Nico said, making Hazel and Frank jump. Leo turned. Nico was looking at one of the readouts, his face reflecting red light.

Leo swore, and jumped to his feet. What could be wrong? Sure he'd known they'd need to land soon… but this soon? He ran to Nico, and what he saw on the readout made his face go white and slack. They were SO dead.

A/N: So, yeah, reviews would be nice. If I don't get a good healthy amount of them by this weekend there may not be another post for a while, mid-terms are coming up.


	9. Wake-up Call

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Singing Fire, the only one to review the chapter I put up on Wednesday. Now, I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus, I am not that awesome. Now, please, R&R and Enjoy my fellow fan-fictioners.**

_**Piper POV**_

With Coach Hedge's negligible skill of healing, Piper had decided to stay in the infirmary to help look after Jason and Percy. Annabeth looked exhausted; she just sat in the chair, holding Percy's hand. Coach Hedge trotted over to her. "I need to go get some more nectar from storage, we're almost out. Keep an eye on those two," he said, waving his baseball bat in the direction of Percy and Annabeth. As if one of them could cause any trouble.

"Don't worry, coach. I've got everything covered."

Once the satyr was gone, Piper went to the storage cabinets and pulled out the nectar. She went first to Percy, pouring some of the godly drink into a glass, but as she went to put Percy into a sitting position so she could give it to him, Annabeth stopped her.

"Let me do it," she said, standing up. Piper watched her as she propped up Percy against herself and gently poured some nectar between his cracked lips. Annabeth seemed to feel her watching, and looked up. "I'm sorry about earlier," she said quietly.

"What for? You were just worried about Percy," said Piper, though she was pretty sure that wasn't the only reason.

Annabeth shook her head. "Do you believe that? I don't." She put the nectar on the bedside table, and leaned her cheek against her unconscious boyfriend's head.

Some part of Piper, the daughter of Aphrodite part, thought that Percy and Annabeth were so cute together, but the more rationally part asked "why?"

The blond sighed, "I think… I think Tartarus is talking to us."

Piper's brow furrowed. "The abyss?"

Annabeth shook her head. "He… yes, he is the abyss, but… he has… he has…" Piper could see that she was about to cry.

"You don't have to tell me," she whispered.

Annabeth shook her head again. "No, I… need to tell someone. Tartarus has a physical form now. He nearly killed Percy and me right before we got through the doors."

"How did… how did you survive?"

"With help…" Annabeth trailed off. Piper was shocked to see that her friend's eyes were wet with unshed tears. "A titan and giant… foes bear arms to the doors of death…" Then tears were streaming down Annabeth's cheeks.

Awkwardly, Piper sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing Annabeth's back as she buried her face in Percy's shoulder. Annabeth raised her head after a couple minutes, and smiled at her. Piper suddenly realized how long it had been since she'd seen her smile. "Thanks, Piper. You should probably go check on Jason."

Piper got up, but before she could walk over to Jason, she ship lurched suddenly, sending Piper sprawling into the chair that Annabeth had occupied earlier. "What the…" she looked over to Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth clambered out of the bed, gave her boyfriend a kiss, and grabbed Piper. "Come on, we need to get up to the deck!"

_**Nico POV**_

Now, Nico knew that storms normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but the one showing on the readout was huge, and Jason was kinda… out of commission at the moment. He cleared his throat.

"We need to land soon." Hazel and Frank jumped, and Leo swore, running up to look at the read out. His face turned white.

"We are so dead…" which seemed a little over-the-top to Nico, but not by much. Venti didn't really like the Argo II in his experience, and the one with the best results fighting them was, again, Jason. They messed with the controls and anyone who was trying to fly the trireme, trying to hurt them as much as possible.

Then lightning arched out of nowhere, and the ship lurched. "What the…" Frank yelled as a box filled with who-knew-what barreled into him.

As he helped Leo look for somewhere safe to set down, Nico was vaguely aware of Piper and Annabeth ascending from the infirmary.

"What's going on!?" Annabeth yelled.

"Venti!" Hazel responded, Nico was proud to see his sister armed with a bow and arrow, pointing one of the shimmery-mist weapons Hecate had given them at the darkening cloud.


	10. Fighting Venti

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update, and I'm sorry it's not very long. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to the guest ****_Mynameiscool_**** for being a new reviewer, and Singing Fire, not only for reviewing, but for starting the story.**

_**Annabeth POV**_

_Venti. This is not good, not with Jason and Percy still unconscious below_, she thought.

The wind started picking up, and Annabeth ran into the heavy gusts to get to where Leo and Nico were feverishly working the controls. "How are we going to fight these things?!" she yelled over the wind.

"Uh… not sure!" Leo yelled back. "Hopefully those mist-weapons can do some damage though!"

Mist weapons? Then she caught sight of the weapon in Hazel's hand. The bow and arrow both seemed to shimmer in the fading light. Like the weapons Hazel had brought on board before that Cockatrice attack. But she didn't have time to ask about it.

"We need to get down! Somewhere small!" she yelled as Frank also picked up a bow and arrow, this one his standard imperial gold.

"Somewhere small?!" Nico questioned. A Venti let lose a lighting bolt, which Hazel somehow intercepted with one of her arrows as Frank shot the Venti with the imperial gold, causing it to crumble to dust.

"Somewhere the Venti can't get to! Like a sheltered cove or lake! Anywhere with water and trees!" she yelled back. "What are the scanners showing!?"

Nico, who was closest to the displays, looked at them, their light casting dark shadows on his gaunt face. "One place that might work, about two miles north!" North. That was going right into the midst of the group of Venti. Still, if there was no choice…

"There's gotta be something else close enough in any other direction!" Leo yelled, looking in shock at the darkening horizon.

Nico shook his head. "Maybe we could all get below and Festus could drive us there!" he suggested.

Hazel intercepted another lightning bolt with an arrow, the bright flash bathing the ship in white light for a moment.

Annabeth considered. "No! If we don't keep the Venti away, the ship would be destroyed by the time we got there!"

So Leo grabbed his Nintendo wii stick and made the sails roll up, making their way against the wind under rowing power.

_**Hazel POV**_

She'd never actually been much good with a bow and arrow, but since they were partially Mist, Hazel found she could direct them to where she wanted them to go. Somehow, she could keep the lightning from hitting them again, as Frank shot the Venti with his imperial gold arrows.

Annabeth was at the controls with Nico and Leo, and though she could tell they were yelling, she couldn't hear anything over the roar of the wind in her ears. Then the sails furled themselves, and the rows took them towards the heart of the storm of Venti. Frank turned towards her, and she caught a glimpse of his confused face, before he went back to Shooting at the Venti, though it was difficult to kill them now. They could only be killed by surprise, and they knew Frank had a bow now.

One of the Venti got very close to the Argo II, but before Frank could put an arrow in its 'head' so to speak, it was stabbed from behind. When it disintegrated, they saw Piper, her knife held in both hands. She'd just stabbed the thing from behind.

"Nice!" Hazel yelled.

Piper nodded, but she looked a little queasy. Hazel was surprised that she didn't feel queasy at all. Nothing's better for sea- or air- sickness than a good battle for your life. "Piper! Use my Spatha! It might be easier to get them!" she called.

Piper rushed off, and grabbed the weapon from where it had fallen to the deck when the first lightning bolt had hit.

After that, all her concentration was on the bolts, which got considerably thicker as they went deeper into the storm.


	11. Bad Situation

**A/N: SO, my loyal readers, and anyone else who happens to be reading this story, this idea just came to me. The story just keeps getting more and more complicated! Be sure to let me know what you think. Also, which POV you want next.**

**_Jason POV_**

If you've never channeled enough power through your veins to restart a heart after being half-drowned, Jason decided he wouldn't recommend it. Especially if you're a demigod, since, likely as not, you'll have visions. Its okay what the visions tell you what will happen, since that can give valuable information, also, the future can change. But the vision he was experiencing now was worse.

He was watching as his friends battled the Venti above, holding them off as well as they could, but they were headed strait into an aerial disaster. Something Jason could help with, were he able to bring himself back to consciousness.

"It's horrible isn't it?" came a voice. "Not being able to help." Jason whirled. Percy was standing there dejectedly, hands at his sides. He smiled wryly at Jason. "Thanks for saving me by the way."

"No problem, man," Jason said.

Percy looked at him. "I know how much of your power that took, how little you had in the first place. I owe you."

Jason didn't say anything. He didn't want Percy to owe him anything. "Hey, I still owed you for saving me in Rome. So let's call it even."

Percy nodded, his attention seemed fixed on something over his shoulder. Jason followed his gaze, and saw Hazel shooting shimmery arrows, deflecting lightning. "We really need to wake up." He said.

"Thank-you, captain obvious," Percy muttered. Normally, Jason might have scowled. But this was Percy, he made comments like that, trying to ease tension. And it normally worked. Jason looked around. He saw Piper brandishing… was that Hazel's Spatha? Annabeth, Nico, and Leo were at the helm, wrestling with controls and consulting panels. Frank was shooting at the Venti with imperial gold arrows as Hazel shot lighting out of the sky.

"Where's Coach Hedge?" he asked.

Percy shrugged. "Probably hit his head when the first bolt hit the ship," he said.

Jason gaped at him. "When was that?"

"Right before I figured out how to move. So, not long after you saved me."

Jason tried to walk over to Percy, but found he couldn't move. "So… how do you move?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, actually. It feels like wading through really wet, heavy snow."

Jason raised an eyebrow at the other demigod, and Percy sighed.

"You have to concentrate not on moving, but on why and how you want to move."

"Okay…" muttered Jason, "I want to move so I can maybe help. I want to walk." He tried, nothing.

"Hmm…" Percy said as more lightning flashed. "Maybe I need to rephrase that… urgency. The need to move needs to be urgent."

Jason thought about that. He urged his legs to move, to carry him forward. The feeling that he must move filled him, until he thought he would burst. Then, just as he was about to give up, he moved. It did indeed feel like trying to move through a drift of wet snow taller than he was, the pressure almost unbearable, and for a moment he could not breathe. But he moved. When he had stopped, after what seemed quite a long time for one step, he double over, gasping. He noted that it was easy to move, if he was not trying to use his legs. He could move his head or lean over quite easily. "That… sucked…" he gasped.

Percy nodded. "It gets easier, though not by much." He said, taking a step forward. Jason noticed that his form seemed to flicker, like the picture on a TV screen getting bad reception. The step did indeed take longer than it should have, and when Percy had stopped moving, Jason noticed that he grimaced in pain.

"How do you suppose we can wake up?" he asked once he had straitened.

The son of Poseidon hesitated. "I have an idea, but it may be nothing. And it's very difficult. It'd be very painful."

"More painful that taking a step?" Jason knew how lame that sounded, but his head was still spinning.

"Well," Percy looked towards the steps that went down from the deck where they were standing to the rest of the ship. "It involves a lot of steps."

"Oh… you think if we got to the infirmary…"

"Maybe. It's better than standing here, probably. It just might take a while."

"Well… I suppose starting now is better than standing here talking about it?"

Percy nodded. "We should help each other. Hopefully it will get easier as we go on."

Jason doubted it. If Percy had been like this since he'd come aboard and still had trouble walking, he doubted it would get any easier. He didn't notice that Percy had taken a step, until the son of Poseidon collapsed against him.

Jason grabbed him before he could fall to the floor. If walking was this hard, he didn't want to know what getting up after a fall would be like.

"Thanks…" Percy gasped, steadying himself. Jason noticed beads of sweat standing out on his forehead.

"You don't look to good," he said, concerned, as the wind picked up around them. It was a bit disconcerting, having the wind pass through him. Wait… the wind….

"Perce? I have an idea."

Percy looked just about ready to pass out, but he shook his head. "I don't know what will happen if you try to control the winds, Jason. Especially with the Venti around, messing with it. You already spent most of your powers saving me." He sounded almost bitter. Like he was angry that Jason had saved him.

"Do you see any other way? Walking that far could take way longer than we have, than our friends have," he said, gesturing to the looming funnel cloud rapidly forming above the Argo II. Percy hesitated.

"Fine, if you must." Jason gripped Percy's arm hard.

"Just hang on," he said, and called on the wind to aid them. This wasn't like walking. It was almost ten times worse. Suddenly, Jason's world was awash with red, there was a roaring in his ears, his head felt like it was being squeezed like a lemon, and then, everything went dark and he collapsed.

**_Percy POV_**

He knew it was a bad idea, as soon as Jason said he had one. He knew what it was. He'd tried calling on his own Ocean powers before, but couldn't remember what had happened. He didn't take that as a good omen. But Jason had a point. It would take a very long time to get there walking like they did….

"Fine, if you must," he said, and felt Jason strengthen his grip.

"Just hang on," he said, though Percy wasn't all sure he'd need to. And indeed, they had barely moved three feet, when the winds stopped, and Jason fell limp. His form started flickering. Percy supported Jason against himself. He supposed this was what had happened when he'd tried. The flickering slowed, just a blip here and there, but Jason stayed limp.

Mustering all his strength, Percy took a step forward. Bad idea. Suddenly, a wave of nausea swamped him, and he too, blacked out.


	12. Very Very Bad

**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter's a little short. And I am most sincerely sorry for the long time it took to update. School. Algebra II. That stuff. Anyways, yeah.**

**This chapter is dedicated to ****_ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWasted_****. I am glad you like it!**

**Now to all my other amazing readers... Enjoy.**

_**Nico PoV**_

The winds pulled at his hair and clothing, threatening to pitch him over the side of the Argo II, but the teenager just stood there, staring at the spot where, just for a moment, he had thought he'd seen Percy and Jason. A movement caught in the corner of his eye. But as soon as he turned to look, there was nothing there.

"Nikki?" Nico winced, and turned, scowling at Leo. He didn't like it when people called him that; the elfish boy coward slightly. "Just thinkin' we could really use your help right about now."

Nico turned back to his friends, shaking off the feeling. Friends. Did he really just think that? Oh well, time enough to dwell on that later, because whether he liked it or not, Nico knew these people were his friends.

"You alright?" Annabeth asked. Nico looked away.

"I'm fine." He muttered. A flash of lighting had him looking up. The bolt had been almost right above the ship by the time Hazel's arrow had intercepted it. His sister's and Frank's arms moved lightning-fast, Hazel's quiver refilling, and Frank taking down a Venti with every-other arrow.

There was a whooshing sound, and he turned to see Piper, Hazel's Spatha raised, covered in monster dust. "Can we divert any more energy to speed? We need to get undercover soon! We're being over-run!" She yelled before running back down the steps to stab at some more Venti.

Leo sprinted from panel to panel as Annabeth wrestled with the directional controls. Nico drew his Stygian Iron sword to protect them from the furious Venti. Not for the first time, Nico wished Jason and Percy weren't comatose. Jason had a way with fighting the Venti, what with his sky-powers and all, and Percy was… well, Percy.

But he wasn't left to dwell on the thought as he was suddenly beset with a whirling tornado of storm spirits. Hold your breath, slash, jab, surprise. Those thoughts whirled through his head as he fought.

He remembered the first part from when Jason had fallen unconscious fighting Venti before. The biggest problem with fighting Venti, is normally how hard they are to kill unless they are surprised. Nico didn't really have that problem, his Stygian iron cut through them like scissors through paper.

The vacuums created by the dying Venti tugged at his cloths, and Nico struggled to hold his breath. Eventually, just as Nico thought his lungs would burst from the strain, he felt the deck tilting under his feet. The Venti hissed in sudden displeasure as the ship descended into the tree-line.

Leo had angled the Argo II into a small lake, so overhung by branches that the Venti would not follow them. It wasn't their domain. Too close to the ground. Nico sighed as he looked around at the water. They were in friendly-ish territory for now. Finally.

. . .

_**(Still Nico PoV)**_

Hazel, Frank, and Piper were lying on the ground, panting hard, and Annabeth, Leo and Nico were helping them to their feet when Coach Hedge burst onto the deck.

"DIE!" He yelled, swinging his baseball bat wildly. Nico had to duck to keep from being brained, and he scowled at the satyr.

"Oh sure, now you show up." He grumbled.

"Nico," Piper said quietly, "will you come below-deck with Hazel and me to assess damage?"

Nico nodded, following the girls to the door the Coach had burst through. Then something caught his eye, and he stopped. He didn't turn, instead looking more out of the corner of his eyes, peripheral vision. Sometimes it helped to see things like ghosts more solidly.

"Oh. My. Gods." He breathed. Hazel stopped and looked back at her brother.

"What's the matter, Nico?" she asked, looking concerned.

"This is bad, this is very very bad…" because the wisps he could foggily see in his peripheral vision were undoubtedly Percy and Jason.


	13. Alarm

**A/N: I know, I'm horrible. Blame it on the schedule of those that act. Homework and chores, play practice from 6-9 every night... and all the Christmas chores and stuff... but really, I AM sorry how long it took to write this super-short chapter. Anyway... this chapter is dedicated to**** ClarrisedaughterofAres**** for her reviews. Enjoy.**

_**Hazel POV**_

"This is bad. This is very, very bad."

Hazel started when her brother sprinted past her, almost throwing himself down the steps that led to the lower deck. With a startled squeak, Piper followed a bit slower and Hazel followed her. They reached the floor just in time to see Nico sqeezing past the statue of Athena and into the infirmary.

Hazel and Piper arrived and saw Nico leaning against the wall, eyes closed, breathing hard. Hazel went to her brother as Piper began to tidy up the small room.

"Nico?" she asked quietly, "you alright?"

Her brother shook his head. "They were there... they were like ghosts, Hazel. I could see them with the corner of my eye. Only not... not when I turned to look..." Hazel turned to glance at the prone forms of Percy and Jason, worry clouding her mind.

"And...?" she asked quietly.

"Their bodies are fine... but it's like they aren't... aren't... they aren't there. Their spirits are gone. And I have no idea why!" Nico dropped his head into his hands, taking deep, calming breaths. At least... Hazel hoped he was calming down.

Just then, Piper made a sort of strangled noise. Hazel whirrled to see her friend looking down at Jason. She sprinted over just in time to see Jason's eyes close again.

"Jason, open your eyes again." Piper said, and despite the charmspeak that Hazel could practically feel in her voice, Jason's eyelids didn't so much as twitch. "Jason..." Hazel could hear the tears in Piper's quavering voice. "Please wake up." He didn't stir.

"Come on, Piper," Hazel said quietly, putting an arm around her friend. Piper nodded, straitening up. She threw a last glance at Jason's face, then ran out of the room. With a sigh, Hazel looked at Nico, who was still standing by the wall. "I suppose we should go help clean up?" she asked uncertainly.

Her brother nodded. "There's not much we can do about this right now."


End file.
